The Snowball Effect
by bluefoxfaerie
Summary: It was now or never. I could speak and ruin everything for the 'happy' couple or I could say nothing and regret it for the rest of my life. This was my only chance. ONE-SHOT Kagome and Inuyasha


**The Snowball Effect**

_It was now or never. I could speak and ruin everything for the 'happy' couple or I could say nothing and regret it for the rest of my life. This was my only chance. ONE-SHOT._

_-Everyone is in there traditional forms however the location is modern day-_

* * *

"If any person can show just cause why they may not be joined together – let them speak now or forever hold their peace."

It was now or never. I could speak and ruin everything for the 'happy' couple or I could say nothing and regret it for the rest of my life.

"Wait!" Was that me?

It must have been, because everyone was starring right at me.

"What are you doing?" the bride hissed.

"Please state your reason," said the Priest.

"Uh…umm…yeah," God, I must have looked like a fish out of water. "I can't watch this happen."

I ran, not like a light jog, a full on run. I needed fresh air and fast. I headed to the balcony that over looked the gardens that were on the grounds of the estate.

I wanted know what was happening after I left, though I didn't really care. The guest were probably coming up with rumors about why the Maid of Honor just ran out of her friend's wedding.

I smacked my head and groaned. What had I just done? How did everything get so mixed up and out of control? What was I going to do now? I couldn't very well go back and face everyone. Not with all my thoughts jumbled up.

I heard footsteps behind me. Someone had found me and I found myself hoping it was security to take me away. I, however, wasn't that lucky.

"Kagome?" an incredibly familiar voice uttered.

I couldn't turn around; I still was wrestling with myself to figure out why I did what did. I wasn't ready to try to explain my actions and what was going through my head. I had just barely pinpointed the start of all this mess. It started in May, six short months ago. I shrived at the memory, or maybe it was the cold it was November now.

That damn rumor. I should have believed that damn rumor.

_-Flashback-_

"_Did you hear Kikyo is back?" Sango asked while we were shopping in May._

"_No. She said she wasn't coming back ever after Inuyasha wouldn't propose." I replied. _

_I didn't believe it for a second, or maybe I didn't want to._

"_Humph. I also heard she and Yash have talked and made up."_

"_Now that I don't believe at all. Yasha hated her for leaving how she did."_

_He stilled hated her right? I was doing my best to keep cool. Kikyo and I were friends and talked every once in a while after she left. She would have told me, right? Inuyasha and I had grown closer and he told me virtually everything, so why was this time any different?_

"_I don't know if there's any truth to any of it. Miroku told me and who knows where he heard it from." Sango was trying to comfort me. My face must have fallen._

_I shrugged, "It's a rumor. Let's finish shopping."_

_-End Flashback-_

Why didn't I follow up with Kikyo or Inuyasha?

"Kagome?" the voice repeated as he took a step forward.

"Yeah?"

It didn't matter if I was ready or not, this conversation was happening now whether I liked it or not.

"Would you care to explain what that was in there?"

"Where do you want me to start, Inuyasha?" Everything had snowballed into a spiral of doom and I couldn't turn around because if I did his stunning amber eyes would read me like a book. I couldn't kid myself any longer; I was in love with the man standing right behind me.

"Of all the things you could have said to stop the wedding, why did you say you couldn't watch it?" The sadness in his voice hit home. I had really screwed it up.

"I'm not sure. There were a lot of things running through my mind and I said the first thing that made the most sense."

That and if I stayed any longer I was going to be sick.

"Did you hear everyone calling?"

They did… I couldn't hear anything as I left; my thoughts were ringing in my ears.

"No…" I trailed off.

"Everyone is confused, Kikyo's furious and I can't go through with this if you're not right up there with me." He stepped closer. "We're best friends, right?"

"The best." Why was Inuyasha being so cautious with me? This wasn't like him at all.

I didn't want for any of this to happen and now I had to figure out how to fix everything.

"Then tell me what is going on."

"There's a lot going on."

And where exactly do I start?

_-Flashback-_

_A few days after shopping with Sango I was walking down the main street looking for a place to grab a quick bite to eat before returning to the office._

"_Oh my God! Kagome!" I turned to Kikyo jumping up and down waving like crazy._

"_Hey, I heard your were back! I didn't know it was actually true!" This was a pleasant surprise. "Want to grab something to eat?"_

"_Of course! We have a lot of catching up to do." She smiled as we walked into a small café._

"_So tell me, why did you come back?" I asked as soon as we sat down._

"_I go a fantastic job offer as Lead Interior Designer at an up and coming company called, Shikon Designs." Kikyo said._

"_Oh wow! That's great to hear!" I looked at the menu out of habit, but knowing already that I was going to order the club sandwich._

"_What about you? How's the event planning business?" She asked setting down her menu._

"_Great. I absolutely love it. I got to plan Sango and Miroku's wedding." _

_They've only been married six months and it was my favorite event to plan by far._

"_I didn't know you had started planning weddings." The waiter came and took our orders before Kikyo continued. "You should plan mine!"_

_I nearly spat out the water I just sipped. I quickly regained my composure, but my eyes were still wide with shock. Did I just hear her correctly? She wasn't wearing an engagement ring._

"_What?!" I managed to get out._

"_It isn't official yet," she giggled. "I just had to tell you! I really want you plan my wedding and I would love it if you'd be the Maid of Honor as well." She beamed looking so happy and I was truly happy for her._

"_Of course! I'd be honored to do both!" _

_There was no way I could refuse Kikyo was a friend._

_-End Flashback-_

I should have never said yes. I should have asked her who the lucky guy was right then and there. But I didn't and now here I was at the wedding I planned with the groom standing just behind me waiting for me to explain a series of events that snowballed into my outburst.

I sighed.

"I shouldn't have planned this. I shouldn't have said yes to being the Maid of Honor."

I sighed again, everything was going to come out and nothing was going to stop it.

"What are you saying? You're amazing." He moved to stand next to me and it took all my will power not to look at him. "That still doesn't explain why we're both out here and not inside."

He was right. I wasn't answering his questions, just vocalizing thoughts to the events that got me to this point. I could've backed out anytime in the last six months, but no I chose right after Kikyo got to the altar and the Priest asked that oh so infamous questions. Why did he have to ask that?

I hung my head sighing. Could I possibly get any farther into this shithole that I've created? And could I even get my self out?

_-Flashback-_

_Kikyo and I were dress shopping after the engagement was official._

"_I'm so excited! I can't wait to walk down the aisle! I mean it only took him three years to figure out what he wanted," she said as she stood in the first dress of the day._

_Wait, Kikyo left three years ago because of Inuyasha wouldn't propose, she couldn't mean that he proposed… It was definitely another guy, right?_

"_Who could be that dumb?"_

"_Inuyasha!" she smiled as she turned to face me._

_My jaw dropped. I had to be dreaming. Before I could say anything my phone rang._

"_Hang on. I have to take this call, work." I walked out of the shop and answered my phone._

"_Hello?"_

"_We have a bit of a situation…" Rin, my assistant and Sesshomaru's mate/wife, said._

_I could handle anything right now other than the bombshell that was just dropped on me._

"_What's up?"_

"_The birthday party that is a couple days away… Well the client changed her mind about the theme, they'll be at the office in an hour to discuss it." You could hear the worry in her voice._

_The client was a spoiled little girl that was turning five. She had already changed her mind, twice. I had half a mind to tell the parents to shove it up their ass, but they were loyal clients._

"_Thanks for the heads up. I'll be there in about 45 minutes." I just kept thinking: Inuyasha and Kikyo are getting married; I agreed to plan it and be the Maid of Honor._

_I hung up after saying good-bye. I looked down at my phone and took a deep breath, it was time to go back in and be happy for my 'friend'._

_-End Flashback-_

I regret asking _'Who could be that dumb'_, and would kill to take it back. I would have found out eventually, but right then was the absolute worst timing.

Why didn't I back out then, or anytime after that awful moment? I definitely thought about it enough to know that I should have. I couldn't though because I thought I could handle seeing the man I love get married to my 'friend'.

I scoffed at that thought, clearly I couldn't handle myself.

The scoff caught Inuyasha's attention.

"You're doing an awful lot of thinking. You aren't hurting yourself are you?"

I smirked. I was hurting myself, more than I wanted him to know.

"I know… I'm trying to piece together how all of this happened." I waved my hands in the air for affect.

I still had yet to look at him, but I knew he raised his eyebrow in a questioning way at that statement. I was after all the one who planned the wedding; I should know exactly how it happened and how it was ruined.

"I could have backed out of my Maid of Honor commitment at anytime, but I chose that last possible second." I explained.

"I couldn't think of a better person to be up there." Why did he keep saying that? "Kagome, look at me."

I could feel my heart beating, the sound was deafening, how was Inuyasha surviving? Couldn't he hear my heart?

"Kagome."

I was fighting so hard to keep everything in hoping he would take one of my vague answers and go away to complete the ceremony and give me the chance to break down in peace.

"Kagome." The way he said my name made the barrier I had put up slowly start tumbling down.

I just wanted to look at him and tell him everything, but now wasn't the time he was supposed to be getting married.

"Kagome."

He put his hand on my shoulder and that broke whatever was left of the barrier and any strength I had left. I turned to him.

"I don't want to be the Maid of Honor." Tears were threatening to spill. "I can't be in those shoes at you're wedding."

"You're not making much sense Kagome," His hand fell. God, he was so dense! Didn't he understand that I wanted to be the one in the white dress?

I bit my lip hoping it would be enough to hold back the words I had been desperately wanting to say. No such luck.

"I can't watch you get married as a bystander. I want to be the one wearing the white dress, standing next to you, as we get married." I paused only to take in air. "I love you so much it hurts and I just couldn't handle watching as you promised your life to another."

There it was. Word vomit to last a lifetime. Tears spilled over and ran down my face as looked at Inuyasha waiting for him to say something, anything… I didn't care at this point. Everything I had bottled up for the past six months I laid out on the table.

Suddenly, his hands gripped my upper arms tightly. They pulled me to him as his lips came crashing down on mine. Without a second thought, because I sure as hell had done enough thinking, I kissed him back. Nothing mattered anymore because I got a gut feeling that somehow everything was going to be all right.

Inuyasha pulled back and flashed one of his rare smiles as he tucked a strand of my hair that had fallen behind my ear, letting his hand run down my cheek after. My tears were gone.

"Thank all that is Holy that you spoke up." He chuckled and shook his head. "If you didn't I would have entered a miserable marriage."

"Wha… wha…" Again my mouth was flapping, but no words came out.

He chuckled again. "I was standing up there wondering what I was going to say when I was asked if I would take Kikyo as my wife. I'm not sure anything would have come out."

"What happened after I left?"

Did the snowball stop? Had I started to climb out of the shithole I was in?

"After you ran, I told everyone to hold on, which Kikyo wasn't too happy about because she wanted to continue and your crew decided to reset everything. I came after you. I had to know why you spoke up and took off like a bat out of hell."

"Huh?"

I was listening to everything, but I just couldn't process any of it, I was drawing blanks.

"Kagome, I have been trying to find a way out of this wedding since Kikyo first brought it up when she moved back. I tried to call you, but you were busy with your business and then before I knew it Kikyo said you were okay with us getting married. I was so shocked that everything snowballed and I couldn't keep up."

He did try and call. I should have answered my phone! That would have stopped this whole fiasco.

Then it hit me. He didn't want to marry Kikyo… ears you better not be deceiving me now.

"As soon as Kikyo brought you on and made it seem like you were okay with it. I came to the conclusion that you didn't have feelings for me. I'm such an idiot. I should have tried harder to get a hold of you."

I snorted. "Yeah you are. How could you not know that I at least liked you more than a friend? I stopped dating."

"I love you."

Those three simple words rolled off his tongue like sweet iced tea.

"You do?"

I had dreamed of Inuyasha saying he loves me and now I was apparently in a state of disbelief because I could not think of anything else to say, except _'you do'._ Who's the idiot now?

"For the longest time. I just didn't know how to tell you. I guess now is as good as ever."

We both laughed breaking any tension or sadness that was left hanging in the air. The wedding ceremony was ruined, but neither of us cared. Right now everything just seemed so ridiculous.

As the laughter died down I asked, "What are we going to do now? We have to let everyone know."

"I'll talk to Kikyo, I need to end this for a second time. Why don't you tell everyone else that the wedding is off, but the reception will still be held as a celebration of life. Any questions you get can go unanswered until I'm there."

"A celebration of life?"

I wasn't following his line of thought.

"It's preemptive. I'm hoping to make it out alive after breaking things off with Kikyo… again."

I laughed because his point was true. Kikyo was going to be even more heated than she already was. She was also going to put everything together quickly and realize why I ran.

"Let's not waste any more time. Everyone will exploded from curiosity overload if we wait any longer." I smiled.

"Keh." Inuyasha said as he kissed me before grabbing my hand and pulling me inside.

I stopped at a mirror to make sure my make-up didn't look too awful. Status: not good, oh well. I took a deep breath to steady my nerves; anyone with news like this would have to, before walking down the aisle.

I reached the altar with everyone's eyes on me. I whispered to the Priest that the wedding was being called off. He nodded and took a step back to let me inform the guests of the status of the wedding.

I stole a quick glance at the best man, who I knew had heard my whispered conversation. A slight smirk was present on Sesshomaru's face.

"Hello everyone, unfortunately there will not be a wedding today." Everyone began to chatter with worried and confused expressions. Another deep breathe for me. "However, Inuyasha would like the reception to go on as a celebration of life."

I tried to hold in my smile as I moved away from the center of attention as everyone's questions filled the room.

"NO! There will be a wedding today!"

Everyone snapped his or her heads to the start of the aisle where a fuming Kikyo stood. Had Inuyasha survived?

"You!" She pointed at me. I should have made a quicker get away.

"You ruined everything!" She took a few angry steps down the aisle placing her in the middle between the altar and door with her hand visibly shaking.

"While I was gone you swooped in on my man!" Kikyo had lost it. "I should have only asked you to plan the wedding! I should have never asked you to be my Maid of Honor. You're a disgrace to the title and the only one who didn't want to see us married!"

I didn't know what to say, I sort of agreed with her. At that moment Inuyasha walked in.

"No she wasn't. Kagome was the only one with enough balls to say something many people were thinking."

I blushed. I know I did because I felt my face get real hot. Was I really not the only one who was having a panic attack at the beginning of the ceremony? I looked at Sesshomaru, who nodded, which got nearly everyone nodding.

Kikyo stood there in the middle looking at everyone and getting more and more confused. Then she snapped.

The snapping was followed by an ear-shattering scream that even humans had to cover their ears for as she ran out.

Inuyasha smirked as he sauntered down the aisle to me. He pulled me into his arms and everyone cheered. Now this felt right.

I felt a tapping on my back. I turned to see the Priest.

"Child, I'm glad you said something because if you didn't, I would have." And he walked away leaving Inuyasha and I with our mouths hanging open.

Inu no Taisho, Inuyasha's father, took our stunned moment to stand up from his seat in the front row.

"Well, shall we move on to the reception and enjoy the rest of the evening?"

Out of the corner of my eye I saw everyone start to get up with smiles and leave their questions behind, but I didn't care anymore. My full attention was on the man that had his arms around my waist and his forehead on mine.

"Shall we join them?" Inuyasha asked.

"I think they can wait for a bit."

Our lips met and I couldn't have been any happier.

"I love you Kagome."

"I love you Inuyasha."

* * *

**I haven't written a fanfic in a long time and this story was floating around in my head and I wanted to try something new. Hope you enjoyed.**

**-Sam**


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